On - the - main



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX CONRAD, OF ASOHAFFENBURG, ASSIGNOR TO THE FARBWERKE, VORMALS MEISTER, LUOIUS & BRI ININ G, OF HOOHST-ON -THE-MAIN,

GERMANY.

PROCESS OF PRINTING TEXTILE FABRICS.

QPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,465, dated October 20, 1885.

Application filed August 19, 1885. Serial No. 174,825. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAX CONRAD, a citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing at Aschaffenburg, in the Empire of Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fixing Coloring-Matters upon Textile Fibers; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a new process by which coloring-matters may be fixed upon and within textile fibers, as will be hereinafter set forth.

In the mixtures used at present for fixing coloring-matters upon or within textile fibers,

the coloring-matters are fixed in the form of their tannic compounds, which contain, besides the coloring-matter proper, thickening, &c., tartaric acid, or ethyl or methyl tartrates.

As an improvement upon this well-known method I have discovered that the tartaric acid, as well as the tartrates, can with great advantage be replaced by the lzevulinic acid. The lzevulinic acid is a cheap product which does not attack the fiber in steaming, and the color develops much better than when tartaric acid or tartrates are used. The acetic acid can also be replaced by the lzevulinic acid, which has advantages over the said acetic acid, in that it is not fugitive with water-steam and does not become volatile under the process of steaming.

The term lzevulinic acid, defined, is, Beta acetyl propionic acidO, (H O,=OH,CO

OH OH,CO,H,) a body quite different from the laevo-tartaric acid (QH O J The following is an example, giving the ingredients of the mixture used in my new process, the proportions of which may, however, be varied to suit circumstances: One hundred and eighty-five pounds blue for printing (induline;) twenty-five per cent. paste; five hundred pounds lzevulinic acid; forty pounds oil emulsion; six hundred and thirty pounds thickening (starch and acetic acid;) one hundred pounds solution of tannic acid (dry tannic acid and tragacanth water.)

The thickening (starch and acetic acid) I prepare by boiling starch in water containing acetic acid.

The solution of tannic acid is prepared by dissolving tannic acid in a watery solution of .gum tragacanth.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The herein described process for fixing coloring-matters upon knit or woven fibers, which consists in first printing upon the fabric with a color prepared with laevulinic acid, oil emulsion, acetic acid and starch, and a solution of dry tannic acid in tragacanth water, and thereafter submitting said fabric to the action of steam, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MAX CONRAD. Witnesses:

ALVESTO S. HOGUE, J EAN GRUND. 

